With a spirited win over Punjab Kings (139/9) at Dharamshala, Chennai Super Kings (167/9) have climbed into the playoff spots.
With three losses in the last four matches, Chennai came into the match under much pressure. Following their old pattern, Punjab Kings won the toss and decided to bowl first. Ajinkya Rahane (9/7) opened things up early for Punjab Kings, but captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (32/21) and Daryl Mitchell (30/19) forged a good partnership.
Chennai’s middle order, however, was defeated by Rahul Chahar (3/23) and Harshal Patel (3/24) in middle overs as Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube (0/1), and Ruturaj Gaikwad struggled. Despite Punjab Kings cruising past Chennai, Ravindra Jadeja (43/26) came as a big roadblock. Chennai scored 167 runs with the help of the Indian all-rounder’s 43 runs. 
The chase was expected to be one-sided like the Chepauk game, but Chennai devised a different strategy. They dismantled Punjab’s top order, preventing them from regaining ground. Even though Shashank Singh (27/20) and lower-order batsmen tried to fight back, Chennai won easily.
Despite many people labelling this match one-sided, here are five moments that shaped the game.
Harpreet Brar’s poor power play show
The main weapons of Punjab in middle overs have been Harpreet Brar (0/19) and Rahul Chahar, who was expected to play a big role on Dharamshala’s slow track. However, when Curran introduced Brar into attack in the last over of the powerplay, Gaikwad and Mitchell went bonkers and accumulated 19 runs. Brar looked clueless in that over and didn’t bowl a single over afterwards. Brar could have been a powerful weapon in middle overs because of what Rahul Chahar and Ravindra Jadeja eventually did in the match.
Jadeja’s late surge
At one point, Chennai’s innings looked stagnant after Patel and Chahar’s brilliance in the middle overs. They were all set to score around 140-150 runs, but Jadeja stepped forward to challenge Punjab’s bowlers. Even though Jadeja hasn’t been in good form this season, he returned to his supreme form when batting. He scored 43 runs off 26 balls, which was exactly what was required of him.
The redemption comeback of Deshpande
This season, Tushar Deshpande (2/35) has been Chennai’s best bowler by far, and after missing the last game due to injury, he looked back to his old self. In his first over, the Mumbai pacer took the wickets of last-game stars Jonny Bairstow (7/6) and Rilee Rossouw (0/3) to give Chennai a dream start. Though Chennai did not have a big score on board, Despande’s opening blow kept Punjab on edge, allowing Chennai to dominate.
Jadeja and Simarjeet’s middle drought
After an early hiccup, Punjab started to pick up pace, with Prabhsimran Singh(30/23) and Shashank Singh finding the rhythm in the middle. Amid the chase, Jadeja came on and slowed down the run. To ignite the collapse, the Indian all-rounder removed the good-looking Prabhsimran. With only four runs and the wicket of Jitesh Sharma (0/1), Simarjeet Singh (2/16) kept on the pressure from the other end. After bowling five overs in the tendon, both bowlers conceded 17 runs to give CSK a big advantage.
Jadeja’s mic drop in 13th over
After the wickets of Jitesh Sharma, Shashank Sharma, and Prabhsimran Singh, Chennai were going well, but Punjab’s deep lineup made them a real threat regardless of stage. In his 13th over, Jadeja ended Punjab’s hopes by taking the crucial wickets of Ashutosh Sharma (3/10) and Sam Curran (7/11) to send Punjab packing.
After this season, Chennai Super Kings have shot up in the table and have increased their chances of making the playoffs. They are currently 3rd in the table with six wins and five losses. In their next match, Chennai will travel to Ahmedabad, where Parimatch Odds favor them at 1.66x. Now that Punjab Kings are virtually out of the game, they will play for pride. However, they do have an outside chance that seems impossible. With Parimatch’s odds at 2.20x, they will host Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
